Heretofore, creosote has been used as an enterobactericide, as an antidiarrhetic based on its enterobactericidal activity, as an expectorant, as an antidiarrhetic based on its activity to retard intestinal movements, and also as an antispasmodic.
Creosote is described in "Medicine Production Guidelines" (edited by the Official Document Association of Japan), 1988, page 240, for the Standard for Approval of Commercial Production of Digestives, in which it is in the group of bactericides in Section No. 1 in Column V for antidiarrhetics. Creosote is also described in "Pathology" (written by H. Itoh; published by Keiko-do as the 6th revised edition on January 5, 1983), page 416, in which it is written that creosote is usable for enteric antisepsis and that, when administered through inhalation, it exhibits an expectorative activity. In the Pharmacopoeia of Japan, it is written that creosote can be used for expectoration, enteric hyperfermentation, cytotoxism, etc. In the United States Dispensatory, 27th Ed., 1973, page 355, it is written that creosote can be used as a bactericide for external application and as an expectorant for internal application. In "Pharmacology" ), Vol. 46, 1993, page 173, it is written by N. Ogata et al. that creosote exhibits an antidiarrhetic ability based on its activity to retard intestinal movements.